We are glad to have this debate because it is vital. Many Irish farmers do not really understand the implications of this or how it spreads. We have been told it is caused by midges but I do not think any midges would survive coming from the North to Wexford. How did that happen? Simple questions like that need to be explained. If there is evidence of how it happened or may have spread, the Minister could provide a link to the country because we would like to know that. Farmers around me have asked me questions. Are we importing straw? Can midges or insects be alive in straw and land here that way? If something like that is happening, we need to stop importing straw. We would have enough straw here if it was not being ploughed into the ground. We need straw for bedding calves, feeding cattle and mixing into diet feeders to help cattle improve and grow efficiently. This could not be more serious. Given the trouble the Taoiseach and his officials went to in order to secure the Chinese market, it would be a shame to lose it. If other countries stopped us exporting or refused to take our exports, we would be in trouble. The price of cattle would come down despite what people have done over the winter. There are other questions. When cattle are housed, are they safe? I do not see midges in housed cattle. We had midges at times, such as in the bog and other such places, so we do not want them. Can humans or birds spread bluetongue? Birds travel long distances. We need to be educated on how the disease spreads. What are we doing in Wexford to curtail and stop the disease? We need to know what is involved and what is being done. Does the Minister have an answer as to why the disease is spreading from the North of Ireland to Wexford? We would like to hear that. Education is paramount to stopping the spread of the disease. We were glad in the early 2000s when we stopped foot and mouth and kept it out of our country. That was vital. I ask the Minister and his officials to ensure they do their best to curtail the disease with all of the expertise they have available to them and ensure the disease does not become rampant in our country and in farms. As I have said many times, our farming community is vital for rural and urban Ireland because we depend on the sector for the food we eat every day.

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